The landmark was achieved in the same week that Nampak's Infini bottle gained global recognition with a silver prize for sustainability at the WorldStar awards.

Alongside its partner, Closed Loop Recycling, Nampak has been able to increase the amount of rHDPE in the multi-award-winning Infini bottle up to 30 percent — a move which will save the dairy industry around 25,000 metric tons of virgin material each year.

Eric Collins, managing director of Nampak Plastics, said: "We had a desire to increase the amount of recycled HDPE in our bottles to up to 30 percent by 2015 — in line with the Dairy UK and Defra Milk Roadmap targets — but have been able to prove that this landmark can be reached well ahead of this schedule.

"All of our bottles, including the Infini range, currently contain up to 15 percent but the move to up to 30 percent is a major step forward for everyone involved in the British milk industry."

Chris Dow, CEO, Closed Loop Recycling said: "We are pleased to extend this long term relationship, which we have enjoyed over a number of years. The 30 percent recycled content news proves the success of the recycled milk bottle market and the dairy roadmap."

Recent figures from Recoup show that 77 percent of HDPE milk bottles are recycled, making it one of the most widely recycled forms of packaging in the country.